Education mafia throttled?

THE ALLAHABAD High Court order abolishing the self- centre examination system is going to have wider political ramifications in the state. Particularly since, political parties, after coming to power, have been using the Board examinations as a tool to widen their base among the masses! So, whenever one government has dismantled the self- centre examination system, the other has ?prudently? restored it! And, vice versa!

THE ALLAHABAD High Court order abolishing the self- centre examination system is going to have wider political ramifications in the state. Particularly since, political parties, after coming to power, have been using the Board examinations as a tool to widen their base among the masses! So, whenever one government has dismantled the self- centre examination system, the other has ‘prudently’ restored it! And, vice versa!

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It was the Rajnath Singh-led Bharatiya Janata Party Government in Uttar Pradesh that had promised to clean the rot in the education and examination system. Not only did the BJP Government put an end to the self-centre examination system but it also blacklisted schools allowing mass-copying and action against students caught cheating.

When the Samajwadi Party (SP) Government came to power in 2003, among the first few decisions taken by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh was restoration of the self-centre examination system. Yadav alleged that the previous government had harassed students and treated them as criminals. Along with ensuring that students sat for examinations in the very school they had studied at, the self-centre examination system ensured that the students did not have to travel to another town or village to take the examinations, said Yadav. Both the BJP and the SP had claimed that the aim of their government was to improve the examination system. However, decisions by both the parties, when in power, was taken with an eye on the votebank.

Interestingly, therefore, the State Government has now, decided to file an SLP for restoration of the self-centre examination system.

With elections round the corner, the High Court ruling is surely going to impact the fortunes of various political parties. Every year, about 50 lakh students take the High School and Intermediate examinations conducted by the UP Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad. Though, majority of the students may not be old enough to enjoy rights of franchise, they still belong to larger constituencies having decisive impact on the outcome of the election results.

Pressure of the education mafia has also forced the State Government to prefer the self-centre examination system. Examinations have virtually become a multi-crore industry in UP. The ‘cheating mafia’ lures students with promises of good marks for a fee! The unholy nexus between corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and educationists is flourishing in the ‘school business’ these days. These people lobby with the Secondary Education Department to allot exam centres to their school.

According to a High Court ruling, only students with at least 75 per cent attendance in school should be allowed to take the Board examinations. But the cheating mafia has been got students not even registered at schools to clear Board exams.

Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh president Om Prakash Sharma says his association had drawn the attention of the State Government to the menace of cheating mafia’s hold over the Board examinations. Today, UP accounts for 4,500 government and aided schools and about 12,000 self-financed schools.
Majority of the self-financed schools have been flourishing because of the self-examination system. The examination system has been spoilt in the state as self-financed schools have commercialised education.

Sharma says, theoretically, the self-centre system is not as bad as it has been projected. In all examinations, including CBSE, ICSE and at universities, the self- centre examination system is preferred. Why the self-centre examination system for the UP Board is drawing flak should be probed, said Sharma.

“Even if the old examination system is revived, it may not end malpractices in the Board examination,” said Sharma, adding that, the education mafia had deep roots. He said they were in a position to indulge in bungling at examination centres, evaluation centres, schools in which the answer sheets were stored and even swap answer-sheets during transportation. The business of establishing self- financed schools should be stopped, he said.

Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh leader Panchanan Rai says the teachers’ association had urged the government to ensure admission of students according to ratio of the teachers and space in school. The Sangh supports the self-centre examination system as it gives a psychological advantage to the students but it is the duty of the government to check misuse.

Former Education Minister Om Prakash Singh says the self-centre examination system has eroded the credibility of the UP Board examinations. Students from neighbouring states flock UP to be able to clear exams easily. “My government had directed school managements to complete all registration formalities by September-end each year to check the activities of the education mafia,” he said.